Arado E.580
The Arado E.580 was a German World War II jet fighter design. Based on a design from 1943, the E.580 was then altered for the Volksjäger competition.
Design
The Arado E.580 was a proposed jet-powered lightweight fighter designed in September 1944 by the Arado Flugzeugwerke company. The design specifications were for a lightweight fighter, powered by a single BMW 003A-1 jet engine, and needed to be designed within a few days. The final design was for a single fuselage aircraft with a low-mounted unswept wing and a single jet engine mounted behind the pilot's canopy on the dorsal side of the fuselage. With the engine mounting position behind the pilot, the canopy partially obstructed the air intake. It had tail unit with twin fins and rudders. The fuselage was made of steel, and the wing was made of wood, and the aircraft had an empty weight of. The aircraft was long and high. The wingspan was with a total wing area of.The aircraft was expected to have a maximum speed of at altitude, and a service ceiling of. It was expected to be able to climb to 6,000 m in 7.4 minutes, and to 10,000 m in 17.9 minutes. Fuel endurance at 100% thrust was designed for 35 minutes at 6,000 m with a fuel capacity of. Armament was designed to be two 30mm MK 108 cannons mounted in the nose.
The conclusion of World War II ended further development of the aircraft, and the design was never completely finished.